Minute in Different Languages
Discover 'Minute' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'minute' holds a significant place in our daily lives, often used to denote a small unit of time. But did you know that this word has cultural importance that extends far beyond its temporal meaning? For instance, in horology, the study of time and timekeeping, a 'minute' is divided into 60 seconds, a concept that has been adopted worldwide. Moreover, the term 'minute' has also been used metaphorically to represent small details or the slightest of differences, showcasing its versatility and impact on language and culture.
Given its significance, you might be interested in knowing how the word 'minute' is translated in different languages. After all, understanding the nuances of a word in various languages can provide valuable insights into the cultures that use them. For instance, in Spanish, 'minute' is translated as 'minuto,' while in French, it's 'minute.' In German, the word 'Minute' is used, and in Japanese, the term '分' (pronounced 'pun') is used to denote a minute.
Minute
Minute in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | minuut | ||
| Afrikaans "minuut" derives from Dutch "minuut" meaning "small", alluding to the short duration of time. | |||
| Amharic | ደቂቃ | ||
| The word "ደቂቃ" can also refer to a "second". | |||
| Hausa | minti | ||
| In Hausa "minti" also means "to vanish" or "to be finished off." | |||
| Igbo | nkeji | ||
| Igbo word "Nkeji" derives from "na nke ji" (meaning "that with which something is used") due to its smallness and the ability to use it to measure other things. | |||
| Malagasy | minitra | ||
| The Malagasy word 'minitra' is derived from the French word 'minute' and also means 'documentary'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | miniti | ||
| The word "miniti" can also refer to a small amount or quantity. | |||
| Shona | mineti | ||
| The word "Mineti" in Shona can mean both "minute" and "a short period of time". | |||
| Somali | daqiiqad | ||
| The word "daqiiqad" (minute) is also used to mean "a moment" or "a very short time" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | motsotso | ||
| The word "motsotso" originally meant "the time it takes to milk a cow". | |||
| Swahili | dakika | ||
| The Swahili word "dakika" also means "a very short time" or "a moment". | |||
| Xhosa | mzuzu | ||
| In Sesotho, the word 'mzuzu' is also used as a term of endearment for children. | |||
| Yoruba | iseju | ||
| The word "iseju" in Yoruba is also used to describe something that is "very small" or "insignificant." | |||
| Zulu | umzuzu | ||
| Umzuzu also means "a particle of time, a moment" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | miniti | ||
| Ewe | aɖabaƒoƒo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umunota | ||
| Lingala | miniti | ||
| Luganda | eddakiika | ||
| Sepedi | motsotso | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sima | ||
Minute in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دقيقة | ||
| The word | |||
| Hebrew | דַקָה | ||
| The Hebrew word דַקָה (pronounced "dakah") can also mean "thin" or "fine". | |||
| Pashto | دقیقه | ||
| The Pashto word "دقیقه" can also refer to a small quantity or portion. | |||
| Arabic | دقيقة | ||
| The word | |||
Minute in Western European Languages
| Albanian | minutë | ||
| In Albanian, "minutë" also means "small" or "tiny" (derived from Latin "minutus"). | |||
| Basque | minutua | ||
| Also refers to a unit of liquid measure and to a specific type of bread in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | minut | ||
| The Catalan word "minut" also means "moment". | |||
| Croatian | minuta | ||
| The Croatian word "minuta" also means a draft version of a document. | |||
| Danish | minut | ||
| Danish "minut" is related to "mindre", meaning "smaller", as it originally meant "a smaller hour". | |||
| Dutch | minuut | ||
| The Dutch word "minuut" comes from the Latin word "minutum", which means "small" or "tiny". | |||
| English | minute | ||
| The word 'minute' comes from the Latin word 'minutus', meaning 'small' or 'tiny'. | |||
| French | minute | ||
| The word "minute" in French, meaning "small" or "tiny," evolved from the Latin word "minutus," meaning "threatened" or "diminished." | |||
| Frisian | minút | ||
| In Frisian, "minút" also means "sandbank". | |||
| Galician | minuto | ||
| In Galician, "minuto" has cognate meanings of "small" or "little", and is also used to describe a detail or aspect of something. | |||
| German | minute | ||
| The German word "Minute" can also refer to a small insect or a tiny particle. | |||
| Icelandic | mínútu | ||
| The word "mínútu" in Icelandic can also mean "small" or "tiny". | |||
| Irish | nóiméad | ||
| The Old Irish cognate of "nóiméad" meant "instant; a tiny measure of time, such as the time in which a wink takes place". | |||
| Italian | minuto | ||
| The word "minuto" in Italian can also refer to a musical note, an old unit of liquid measure, or a small detail. | |||
| Luxembourgish | minutt | ||
| The word "Minutt" can also refer to a small, unimportant person. | |||
| Maltese | minuta | ||
| In Maltese, "minuta" has alternate meanings including "summary" and "rough draft" in addition to its meaning of "minute". | |||
| Norwegian | minutt | ||
| Minutt can also mean "notice" or "notice board" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | minuto | ||
| In Portuguese, "minuto" also means "very small" or "insignificant" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mionaid | ||
| The word "mionaid" can also refer to a "moment" or a "second". | |||
| Spanish | minuto | ||
| The word "minuto" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "minutus", meaning "small" or "short", and is related to the word "minutes" in English, which refers to the 60th part of an hour. | |||
| Swedish | minut | ||
| The Swedish word 'minut' can also refer to a small piece of paper or a brief note. | |||
| Welsh | munud | ||
| The word "munud" is the shortened form of "munud o amser" which means "a portion of time". | |||
Minute in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хвіліна | ||
| The name хвіліна comes from the Latin words «minuta pars horae», which means «the smallest part of an hour». | |||
| Bosnian | minutu | ||
| Bosnian "minutu" can also mean "very little" and derives from the Italian word "minuto" with the same meaning. | |||
| Bulgarian | минута | ||
| The Bulgarian word "минута" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *min-, meaning "to pass". It has the same root as the English word "minute", meaning "a moment". However, in Bulgarian, "минута" has an additional meaning of "a unit of time equal to 60 seconds". | |||
| Czech | minuta | ||
| The Czech word "minuta" also has the meaning of "sketch" or "draft". | |||
| Estonian | minut | ||
| The word "minut" in Estonian can also mean "moment" or "instant". | |||
| Finnish | minuutti | ||
| Minuutti is also a small coin, which in colloquial language is called penn, and in the 16th century meant a weight of a certain amount of silver. | |||
| Hungarian | perc | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "perc" can also refer to a unit of time equal to one thousandth of a second. | |||
| Latvian | minūti | ||
| "Minūti" is derived from the Latin word "minutus", meaning "small" or "tiny". | |||
| Lithuanian | minutė | ||
| Minute in Lithuanian is also used as a currency and a measure of alcohol content | |||
| Macedonian | минута | ||
| "Минута" can also mean "a moment" or "a short period of time" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | minuta | ||
| "Minuta" also means "draft" or "sketch" | |||
| Romanian | minut | ||
| The Romanian word "minut" also means "fine, delicate". | |||
| Russian | минута | ||
| In Russian, "минута" not only means "a minute" but also "a moment", and is cognate with the adjective "минувший", meaning "past, bygone". | |||
| Serbian | минуту | ||
| "Минуту" in Serbian can also mean "a moment" or "an instant." | |||
| Slovak | minútu | ||
| The word "minútu" in Slovak can also refer to an amount of time equal to 60 seconds, as in "za minútu" (in a minute). | |||
| Slovenian | minuta | ||
| The Slovenian word "minuta" also has the meaning of "draft", derived from the Latin word "minutae", meaning "small parts". | |||
| Ukrainian | хвилини | ||
| The Ukrainian word "хвилини" originates from the Old East Slavic word "хвилити", meaning "to delay" or "to wait." | |||
Minute in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মিনিট | ||
| The word 'মিনিট' derives from the Latin word 'minutus' meaning 'small' or 'very small' | |||
| Gujarati | મિનિટ | ||
| The Gujarati word 'મિનિટ' is derived from the English word 'minute', which originally meant 'a very small portion of time'. | |||
| Hindi | मिनट | ||
| From the Latin word "minutus" meaning "small" or "very small". | |||
| Kannada | ನಿಮಿಷ | ||
| The word 'ನಿಮಿಷ' in Kannada also means 'a wink' or 'a moment' in addition to its meaning as a unit of time. | |||
| Malayalam | മിനിറ്റ് | ||
| The word 'minute' in Malayalam can also mean 'moment' or 'instance', and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'nimish', meaning 'a twinkling of the eye'. | |||
| Marathi | मिनिट | ||
| In Marathi, 'मिनिट' also means 'small' or 'tiny'. | |||
| Nepali | मिनेट | ||
| The word "मिनेट" can also refer to a small quantity or amount. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਿੰਟ | ||
| The word "ਮਿੰਟ" (minute) in Punjabi also refers to a small coin with a value of one-fourth of an anna. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විනාඩිය | ||
| The word "විනාඩිය" can also refer to a small unit of time, typically one-sixtieth of a second. | |||
| Tamil | நிமிடம் | ||
| In Tamil, "நிமிடம்" also means a specific time of day or event, such as sunrise or dusk. | |||
| Telugu | నిమిషం | ||
| The word "నిమిషం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "निमेष" (nimesha), which means "a wink of the eye" or "a moment". In Telugu, it is commonly used as a measure of time, equivalent to 60 seconds. | |||
| Urdu | منٹ | ||
| The word 'منٹ' is derived from the Arabic word 'دقيقة', which means 'a short period of time'. | |||
Minute in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 分钟 | ||
| 古代“分钟”指十分之一刻，近代用来计量时间，指一小时的六十分之一。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 分鐘 | ||
| 分鐘是時間單位，也指會客時短暫停留、文件速記及記錄會議時所寫的備忘錄。 | |||
| Japanese | 分 | ||
| The kanji for 分 (minute) also means "divide" and "understand". | |||
| Korean | 분 | ||
| "분" is the native Korean word for "minute", and also means "powder" or "flour" in modern Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | минут | ||
| "Минут" is cognate to "миг" and "момент", and means both "a moment" and "a minute". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မိနစ် | ||
| Myanmar's မိနစ် (minit) derives from the Pali term "minuta" meaning a brief or concise remark. | |||
Minute in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menit | ||
| The Indonesian word "menit" also means "thought, contemplation, or intention". | |||
| Javanese | menit | ||
| The Javanese word "menit" is derived from the Dutch word "minuut" and also means "small, little". | |||
| Khmer | នាទី | ||
| The word "នាទី" (minute) in Khmer also means "second" in a time context. | |||
| Lao | ນາທີ | ||
| The word "ນາທີ" ("minute") in Lao can also refer to a small unit of time, approximately 60 seconds. | |||
| Malay | minit | ||
| The Malay word "minit" also has the alternate meaning of "minutes" as in notes of a meeting. | |||
| Thai | นาที | ||
| The Thai word "นาที" (minute) can also mean "moment" or "while". | |||
| Vietnamese | phút | ||
| The word "phút" is derived from the French word "minute", and also means "instant" or "moment" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | minuto | ||
Minute in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəqiqə | ||
| The word "dəqiqə" also means "exact" or "precise" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | минут | ||
| The word "минут" in Kazakh also means "instant". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүнөт | ||
| The word "мүнөт" in Kyrgyz can also refer to a short period of time or a moment. | |||
| Tajik | дақиқа | ||
| The word "дақиқа" comes from the Arabic word "دقيقة" which originally meant "very small". | |||
| Turkmen | minut | ||
| Uzbek | daqiqa | ||
| The Uzbek word "daqiqa" is derived from the Arabic word "daqīqa", which means "atom" or "fine particle". | |||
| Uyghur | مىنۇت | ||
Minute in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | minuke | ||
| The Hawaiian word "minuke" is derived from the English word "minute" and originally referred to the 60th part of an hour, but later evolved to also mean a small or brief amount of time. | |||
| Maori | meneti | ||
| Meneti may also refer to 'minute' as in 'small and unimportant' | |||
| Samoan | minute | ||
| The word "minute" in Samoan comes from the same root as "minnie" in English, both meaning "small". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | minuto | ||
| In Filipino, "minuto" also refers to the smallest Filipino coin (equivalent to ₱0.01). | |||
Minute in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | k'atha | ||
| Guarani | aravo'i | ||
Minute in International Languages
| Esperanto | minuto | ||
| The Esperanto word "minuto" comes from the Latin word "minutus", meaning "small" or "tiny", and can also refer to a small piece of time or a brief musical note. | |||
| Latin | minute | ||
| The Latin word "minutum" also means "small" or "trifling" and is the root of the word "minimum". | |||
Minute in Others Languages
| Greek | λεπτό | ||
| "λεπτό" (leptó) is derived from the root "λεπ" (lep), meaning 'small' or 'thin'. | |||
| Hmong | feeb | ||
| The word 'feeb' in Hmong can also mean 'grain' or 'particle', and is related to the word 'feem', which means 'dust' or 'powder'. | |||
| Kurdish | deqqe | ||
| In Kurdish, the term “deqqe” not only signifies “minute” but also refers to a unit of land measurement, an amount of money, or a small fraction. | |||
| Turkish | dakika | ||
| The word "dakika" in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word "daqīqa", meaning "a very small amount" or "a moment", and also refers to a unit of angular measurement. | |||
| Xhosa | mzuzu | ||
| In Sesotho, the word 'mzuzu' is also used as a term of endearment for children. | |||
| Yiddish | מינוט | ||
| In Yiddish, "מינוט" can also refer to a moment, instance, or small amount of time. | |||
| Zulu | umzuzu | ||
| Umzuzu also means "a particle of time, a moment" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | মিনিট | ||
| Aymara | k'atha | ||
| Bhojpuri | मिनट | ||
| Dhivehi | މިނެޓް | ||
| Dogri | मिंट्ट | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | minuto | ||
| Guarani | aravo'i | ||
| Ilocano | minuto | ||
| Krio | minit | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خولەک | ||
| Maithili | मिनट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯀꯨꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | thil tereuh te | ||
| Oromo | daqiiqaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମିନିଟ୍ | ||
| Quechua | minuto | ||
| Sanskrit | क्षणं | ||
| Tatar | минут | ||
| Tigrinya | ደቒቓ | ||
| Tsonga | minete | ||